title: Demonstrating disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Is 18F FDG PET a sensitive method?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to investigate the relationship of fluor-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F FDG PET/CT) with clinical, laboratory parameters and conventional radiographs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
  
  
  METHODS
  25 patients with RA diagnosis were evaluated by sociodemographic, clinical [duration of disease (year), the joints in which the complaints started, most recent joint involvement]; other parameters used in RA-specific clinical assessment [Steinbocker functional staging, disease activity score 28 (DAS 28 score), health assessment questionnaire score (HAQ score), general RA assessment (patients' and physicians' global assessment), patients' assessments of pain and general health condition (visual analog scale)], laboratory, radiological [conventional radiology of hand and foot joints], positron emission tomography [18F FDG PET visual total score and maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) total score] parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant correlation was detected between the 18F FDG PET total score and SUVmax total score of the patients and clinical, laboratory, and radiological parameters (p > 0.05). There was no relationship between the cut-off values determined according to the disease activity and 18F FDG PET/SUVmax total values (p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study, no relationship was found between disease activity demonstrated by 18F FDG PET/CT in RA patients and clinical, laboratory, and radiological parameters. 18F FDG PET/CT appears to be a more sensitive method in demonstrating disease activity compared to other evaluated methods.
authors.affiliation: Inanc Karapolat, MD, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Sifa University Medical Faculty, 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey, Tel. +90/532/781 05 17, Fax +90/232/343 56 56, E-mail: inanckarapolat@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Karapolat
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sertpoyraz
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Oncel
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobak
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yalcin
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kumanlioglu
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
keywords: 18F FDG PET/CT; DAS 28; SUVmax; disease activity; rheumatoid arthritis